Is She Or Is She Not?
by xSimplyMex
Summary: Nothing ever comes easy, which is why Dani meets Santana at the Spotlight Diner in the first place, but will love blossom? And what does Elliott have to do with that?
1. Chapter 1

**Is She or is She not?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this (except for my OC's), neither do I own any song, brand or place mentioned, they all belong to their respective owners.**

**Chapter 1:**

She spun in front of the mirror, checking every detail of her outfit, which consisted of black leggings, a 'Guns N'Roses' shirt and a studded leather jacket, trying to decide what shoes to wear.

"Dani? Have you seen my hat?" came a shout from her bandmate, Elliott Gilbert.

She rolled her eyes "Yes, you put it on our guitar cases! Can you come in here? I need your opinion!" she called back. A minute later shuffling feet could be heard in front of her room.

"What did you need me for?" Elliott asked, cocking his head to the side, surveying the room, not even bothering to complain about its messiness, knowing his best friend couldn't keep her room tidy for more than a week, even less if she put a lot of effort into putting an outfit together.

Dani held up two pairs of shoes, her favorite biker boots and a pair of black platform heels, urging him to choose for her. "Which one?" she asked looking slightly exasperated.

"Wear the heels, they'll make your legs look as if they go on for miles. You're going to turn a lot of heads tonight," he said with a smile.

"Thanks Ellie!" she said happily and laughed when he pulled a face at her nickname for him.

"Watch it Rosalita!" he threatened with a smirk, knowing how much she hated her middle name.

"Whatever," she huffed and flopped down on her bed to put on her shoes, while Elliott chuckled at her pout.

"Stop it!" Dani hit his arm playfully, failing to keep a serious look on her face. "We've got to go, Jake and Alex will be here soon," she said and grabbed her guitar.

* * *

"Hey guys!" Dani greeted her bandmates as she got into the car, having handed her guitar to Elliott who was currently trying to safely fit their guitars into the trunk.

"'Sup Hottie," Alex and Jake replied. They were the other two band members beside Dani and Elliott and had the habit of acting like twins. Alex played the bass, while Jake was their drummer. They had been best friends since kindergarten and when they met Elliott and Dani in a café one day, a connection had instantly formed. Soon after "Original Uproar" had been born, a band of two pairs of best friends whose biggest passion was music.

"Not much, just getting ready to rock that stage," she replied with a shrug of the shoulders, her excited smile betraying her cool exterior.

"Let's go!" said Elliott who had just gotten into the car after putting their guitars in the trunk.

"Joe's Pub, here we come!" Alex said and started driving down the busy streets of New York.

* * *

"I'm heading out!" Santana called into the apartment she shared with her high-school friends Rachel and Kurt.

"Where are you going?" Rachel asked.

"To Joe's Pub, don't wait up for me," she said before leaving, not waiting for a reply.

Santana had been looking forward to this Friday for days, she had heard that this upcoming band was playing in her favorite bar, Joe's Pub, and she wanted to check them out. She was in need of something other than Rachel rehearsing her songs for 'Funny Girl', so she had put on one of her favorite dresses and some high heels to get into the mood for a good night out.

She hailed a cab and entered the retro themed bar approximately twenty minutes later. People were already having a blast on the dancefloor while the DJ was playing the most popular club hits. She went over to the bar and ordered her regular drink with her fake I.D.

Soon, four people, three guys and one female, went on stage with their instruments, the drum-set belonged to the club, but the rest brought their guitars. Santana couldn't see them very well from her spot at the bar, so she moved onto the dancefloor and closer to the stage, where the female, a blonde, was bending over to plug in her electric guitar. _Nice ass,_ Santana thought and continued to watch them set up.

They seemed to be a close group, and she had to smile when she saw the girl do a crazy handshake with the dark haired guy who wore clothes that were similar to her style. Finally the DJ announced the band.

"Everybody, please give a warm welcome to our next performers!" he shouted. The club cheered and the girl and the boy, who had previously been doing the handshake, stepped up to the microphones. Now that she could see their faces properly, she was stunned by the girls beauty.

"Hi everybody, we're _Original Uproar_ and we hope that you're ready to rock with us. I'm Elliott, this is Dani," he pointed to the blonde and she gave a smile "this is Alex," the bassist gave a salute making the crowd chuckle "and on the drums we have Jake." The drummer waved with his sticks.

"Let's do this!" The girl, Dani, exclaimed, radiating confidence, which Santana found extremely appealing, surprising herself. She didn't even know the girl and already found herself very attracted to her? What was happening? Her train of thoughts was halted, however, by the intro of _Lady GaGa's _'The Edge of Glory'.

Santana was impressed, more than impressed, the sound of not only Dani's but also Elliott's voice was amazing, she had rarely heard such amazing harmonies. Their voices were so different yet fit together as if they were made for each other. It was crazy.

The band continued with two more songs, one being an original that focused more on Elliott's voice, but had some pretty amazing parts of Dani's belting in it. The whole club was roaring with applause when they finished. Santana was blown away and found herself yearning to actually talk to the blonde singer, but she didn't dare to interrupt her and her bandmates. Heck, she didn't even know if Dani was gay, so she decided against approaching the smaller girl.

* * *

Dani was on a high from their performance, she was smiling nonstop and practically bouncing of the walls. Elliott who was sitting on the couch waiting for Dani to finish dinner while looking through their finances, heaved a sigh "Dan? Are you finished yet?" he asked.

"Yep! Here you are: Dani's super special sandwich; made with love," she grinned. When she saw her roommates serious expression, she got worried. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"I just went through the bills and I don't think we'll be able to cover them next month…" he said somberly.

"What? But the band is doing so well and we still have our day-jobs…I don't get it," she ran a hand through her hair and exhaled deeply.

"Yeah, but I guess we didn't make as much money with our performances as we thought…it sucks that we're not signed yet. We're pretty darn awesome," he huffed.

"Well I can take another job, maybe as a waitress or something? That can't be that different from working at a coffee shop, right?" she suggested.

"That could work, but are you sure? I mean it's kind of unfair that you have to take on two jobs when I only have one," he asked.

"You still have classes at NYU, so it's okay. I only sit around and write songs after my shifts anyway," she said with a smile.

"Thanks Dan. You think you could find something soon?"

"I have a free day tomorrow, I'll start looking then. Now eat you sandwich!" she said, practically shoving the food in his face.

* * *

**Tell me what you think? I'd really appreciate it! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N.: I just wanted to say a quick thank you to all the people who put this in their alerts/favorites. I'm a little sad I didn't get more reviews, but I really do appreciate the feedback I got, so thanks! Hope you enjoy the next chapter! ;)**

* * *

**Chapter 2:**

Dani had spent her entire morning browsing the internet for places that were looking for a waitress, typing out applications and of course looking for an outfit that would make a good impression.

She usually didn't care what people thought of her clothes, she wore what she liked and felt comfortable in, but she really needed a job, so she needed to make a good impression on her possible future employers. That, however, didn't mean she didn't stay true to herself, she just toned down her usual choice of clothes and picked a pair of black jeans that was not torn, a light colored ruffled blouse and a black blazer with leather sleeves.

After making sure she had everything, she made her way out of the small apartment she and Elliott shared.

* * *

Santana was sleeping contently, and may or may not have been dreaming about a certain singer, when Rachel decided to disturb her much needed rest.

"Santana get up!" she said in an annoyingly high pitch that Santana chose to ignore.

Rachel huffed, smacking Santana's leg "Get up! We have work this afternoon!"

"Go away!" she growled into her pillow.

"Santana! I mean it, we have to work this afternoon!" Rachel exclaimed angrily.

"Ugh! Why did you have to wake me up? It's only 11 o'clock!" the Latina complained.

"_Because_ we have the afternoon shift. Gunther just called me." The smaller girl replied, obviously frustrated.

"But I already have the evening shift too! I swear I'm going to kill this ignorant little…" Santana ranted. "I need coffee!" she declared only seconds later, begrudgingly getting up to start the coffee machine.

* * *

Dani was in a good mood, although she found her new employer a bit creepy, she was elated to have found a job this quickly. The best part next to getting paid was that she got to perform for the customers.

So, being in the good mood she was, she was happily serving the customers in her section, glad for every tip she got.

Just as she stood behind the counter, two women entered the diner clad in their uniforms; it was obvious that they were working the next shift. Both of them were beautiful, but Dani found herself drawn to the taller woman.

"Hey Dani, right?" one of her new co-workers interrupted her thoughts "Do you want take the break together? We could get to know each other a little better," he suggested.

Dani contemplated this for a moment, but figuring she had the next shift as well and would have to take a break eventually, she decided to take so she could at least have someone to talk to. "Sure," she smiled.

"Cool. Let's go to the break room in the back," he said, leading the way.

They sat down in the corner and Dani realized that she hadn't told Elliott about her success yet. "Sorry, I just need to call someone real quick," she said, already dialing her best friend's number.

"Hey!" she greeted happily.

"_Dani! How'd go? You sound happy."_

"I think it went well…I got a job at the Spotlight Diner on broadway," she said nonchalantly.

"_What? That's awesome! I can pick you up, it's on my way."_

"Great, I'll see you around six?" she asked.

"_I'll be there, see you Dani-babe!"_

"See ya!" she smiled although he couldn't see her.

"Sorry about that, I promised I would call," she said with a smile.

"No big deal! So…tell me a little bit about yourself," her co-worker, whose name-tag said 'Steve', asked.

"Well, I'm Dani, I'm 21 and I love to sing, you?" she replied, not really comfortable with telling a complete stranger about her life. It took her a lot of time to fully trust a person, Elliott had been no exception to that.

"I'm Steve, I'm 23 and I hope to be signed by a record label, but seriously what's this with the vague answers?" he asked with a smile, hoping to get her to tell him more.

"I don't really trust easily," she shrugged.

"Okay… do you play any instruments?" he changed his approach.

"I do," she replied curtly.

"What's wrong? I thought we wanted to get to know each other?" Steve asked, confused about Dani's sudden coldness.

"I thought it'd be nice to talk somebody, but the whole question thing…nah that's not for me. But it was nice to meet you," she said as nicely as she could, before returning to the front of the diner and resuming her spot behind the counter, waiting for somebody to change position with her.

* * *

Santana was already beyond annoyed with her customers and that after only half an hour, it had to be a new record. She decided to go look if someone was willing to take her section while she went behind the counter.

She was shocked when she saw the face of a familiar looking blonde. _What is she doing here? This can't be good…I'm going to make a fool of myself! Get your shit together Lopez!_ She thought.

"H-hey… Do you wanna swap places and take my section?" she asked, cursing herself for stuttering.

"Sure. Oh by the way; I'm Dani," she said with a smile.

"I know," Santana replied, then realizing what she'd said and seeing the confused look on Dani's face, she blushed deeply. "I-I mean, I saw you at Joe's Pub yesterday and you're wearing a name-tag," she said nervously, internally cursing herself. _Smooth, real smooth, Santana._

"Alright then! Well did you like it?" she asked flirtatiously.

"Yeah, you were awesome," Santana said.

"Thanks! I'll take your section now, see you later," Dani replied and stared at Santana's chest "Santana," she finished her sentence with a wink after reading the name-tag and possibly looking a bit longer than it took to read those seven letters.

Santana was left behind feeling more nervous than before. Dani was even more gorgeous up close and her confidence was a definite turn-on; it wasn't the kind where the person walked around like they owned the place, acting obnoxiously cocky, but rather the kind where the person was at peace with being who they truly were and teased others in a friendly way.

Throughout the afternoon Dani and Santana continued swapping places while occasionally chatting. It was only towards the end of the afternoon shift that they ended up behind the counter together.

"Soo, Santana you must be a singer too if you work here, right?" Dani asked glancing at the Latina next to her while refilling the sugar caddies.

"Uh yes," came her reply.

"Cool! I gotta hear you sing sometime," the blonde stated.

"Sure," Santana smiled. "So until when are you working today?" she asked.

"My shift ends in ten minutes I think," she said looking at the clock above the entrance of the diner.

"Oh," Santana said slightly disappointed; she had hoped to talk more to Dani.

Dani seemed to notice Santana's disappointment "I gotta change out of this hideous uniform, why don't you take your break and we can talk a little in the back," she suggested.

Santana blushed but agreed anyway.

They stopped in front of the locker room "Be right back," said Dani with a wink and went in to change back into her normal clothes.

Left behind with feelings she did not like at all, Santana paced in front of the door, trying to tell herself that there was nothing to be freaking out about. _Just an incredibly hot girl that's changing behind the door, no big deal._ Just as she had calmed down again, the door opened, revealing Dani in high-heels and tight pants. Santana gulped inaudibly. _Yep, no big deal._

Dani took the initiative and walked them back to the front of the diner "So why are you working here?" she asked, wanting to get to know the Latina a little better.

"What do you mean? This is my dream career!" Santana teased, suddenly back to her usual confidence.

The smaller girl laughed "Right. I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay, I'm used to people thinking that way," she said playfully.

"Alright then tell me what does your future in this _wonderful_ diner look like?" Dani played along.

"Well there's nothing better than refilling sugar caddies and taking orders. I love being bossed around and…okay you got me," she laughed "Honestly though, I've always dreamed of making it big with something I'm passionate about, but I'm still waiting for my big break," she confessed.

"My big break hasn't happened yet either, but I believe that if you have the talent and the passion for it, you're going to achieve your goals," Dani said.

"Huh, I guess you're right. Aren't you heading out? Your shift's over," Santana asked with a small smile.

"No, not yet. I'm waiting for – oh that's him! It was nice talking to you Santana, see you around," she said and hugged the taller girl goodbye, practically running over to a guy who was looking around, probably for her.

Santana watched as she tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and a huge smile spread across his face. Santana stood close enough to hear him exclaim "You did it babe! I'm so proud of you!" After that he hugged her tightly and kissed her forehead. Santana recognized him as her bandmate Elliott, who appeared to be her boyfriend as well, much to her dismay.

She watched sadly as Dani linked her arm with Elliott and went to leave the diner, but just as she was at the door, she turned around and gave Santana a small wave.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

Outside of the diner, Elliott studied his best friend. She seemed extremely happy and it didn't look as if it was only because of her new job. He had seen the wave Dani had given the beautiful Latina behind the counter.

"What are you looking at?" Dani asked.

"You," he replied.

"Weirdo," she rolled her eyes and poked his side.

"I was just wondering what's gotten you so happy," he stated.

"Uh hello? I just saved our asses and got a new job, why _shouldn't _I be happy?" she retorted.

"I don't know… Don't you want to tell your best friend all about that gorgeous Latina you were totally checking out just seconds ago?" he nudged her.

"What? No!" she said way too quickly.

"Dani's got a cruuuush!" Elliott said in a sing-song voice.

"Shut up. I do not!"

"Oh yes you do," he taunted.

"Fine, I do! Happy?" she asked.

"Very. Are you going to ask her out?" he asked.

Dani shrugged her shoulders "I don't know yet…It's kinda cute when she gets nervous around me."

* * *

Inside of the diner Santana was moodily taking orders from customers, nothing new really, but Rachel had a feeling that there was something else going on. She had seen her friend interact with the new girl and they had seemed very flirty. What could have happened? She decided to pull Santana aside and ask her.

"Santana what's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing. Can I go back to work now?" Santana replied.

"You never willingly go back to work. What happened? Just minutes ago you were a ray of sunshine… is it the new girl? Do you like her?" she asked, suddenly excited.

"Will you calm down?! I think I might like her, but she's got a boyfriend anyway," she said dejectedly.

"What? Did she tell you that? You two were flirting the whole time," Rachel frowned.

"No…But she got picked up by a dude that called her 'babe' and kissed her forehead," she spat "I don't get her. She gave me a wave when they left and she was flirting with me almost the whole time before. It's so confusing, I don't know what to do," she admitted.

"Look, maybe it was a misunderstanding, just ask her next time," Rachel said with a smile.

"And make a complete fool of myself? No thanks!"

"I could ask her for you," she suggested.

"No, there's no need for you to play Yentl the Lesbian Matchmaker."

"Come on!" Rachel whined.

"No! I swear Berry –"

"Oh, there's a new customer, I've got to go," she interrupted.

* * *

Halfway home, Dani and Elliott got a call from Alex and Jake, telling them, they'd booked another gig and asking them to come over to practice.

So an hour later they were sitting in Alex' and Jake's loft, discussing which songs they would play.

"The owner actually asked us to play a few slower songs, 'cause it's supposed to be a motto evening with all kinds of different genres," Alex told them.

"Dani, how 'bout you choose two songs or so that you could play on the piano?" Jake suggested.

"Hey that's a pretty good idea. Didn't you just write a few piano ballads?" Elliott asked his roommate.

"Yeah, but they're pretty heavy…I don't know," she sighed.

"Come on girl, you can do it. Play them for us?" Jake asked.

"Do I have to? Can't we cover something?"

"Please?" Alex asked, trying to make a puppy face.

"Ugh okay, but I wanna sing the Spanish version," she stated, feeling more comfortable, knowing that her friends didn't understand the language.

"You wrote an entire song in Spanish? Wow," Jake said and gave Dani a bow.

"Oh shut up. It's called 'Rascacielo' which means 'Skyscraper'," she said, thinking she'd be nice and at least translate the song's title to them, before taking her place behind the keyboard.

She started playing a steady intro before singing the first line. Her voice held a lot of emotion, quivering yet powerful. Although nobody in the room except for Dani understood the language, it was easy to hear how much emotion this song expressed how it was clearly a song that made Dani feel very vulnerable.

"_Como un rascacielo_," she sang quietly, dragging out the last note with her eyes closed.

The entire room was silent, before Elliott started to clap, the other two soon joining him.

"Girl that was fucking awesome!" Jake called out, fist-bumping her.

"Absolutely amazing," Elliott agreed.

Dani smiled so big, she thought her face would break "Aww, thanks guys."

"So will you perform this?" Alex asked, blunt as always.

"I don't think they want a song that's in a different language," Dani said, still unconvinced.

"You can't deny that you enjoyed letting it all out Dani, we all saw your face. Besides, music is a language itself, you don't need to understand the words to feel it," Elliot tried to persuade his best friend.

"Seriously why do you have to be so damn persuasive?" she groaned, while the others high-fived each other.

"One down, four more to choose," Alex grinned.

"How about that song Elliott wrote a while ago 'Trespassing'? Then I wouldn't be the only one with a solo, plus it's totally different from 'Rascacielo'," Dani suggested.

"Oh I remember that one, it's got some awesome vibes, I'm in," Jake agreed.

"Me too," Alex said, adding it to his notes about the upcoming performance, after seeing Elliot's nod.

"How about Maroon 5's 'Payphone' or some Nickelback?" Alex asked, his hazel eyes scanning his bandmates' faces.

"Why not do both?" Elliot spoke up.

"Yeah, I just heard their song 'Photograph' on the radio, we could do that," Jake said.

"I love that song, let's do that!" Dani agreed.

"Okedoke, we're only missing one song, I think we should add something slow," Alex told them.

They were silent for a while; all thinking about a suitable song, when Elliott snapped his fingers suddenly "That's it!" he said excitedly.

"What?"

"We should rewrite one of our songs into a jazz version or something close to it," he said with a big smile and grabbed his guitar, strumming a sultry melody that gave off a slightly jazzy vibe.

"_I throw all of your stuff away, then I clear you out of my head_," Dani started singing slowly, adjusting to the melody.

"Elliott, you're a genius! I know exactly what the drums could be like, let's make some music," Jake clapped.

"Thanks! Dan, do you have the sheet music for that song?" Elliott asked his best friend who nodded and took her songbook out, searching for the page it was on.

* * *

It had been five days since Santana had met Dani and they had talked occasionally when they were working the same shift, which had not been often since Santana usually had the evening or night shifts, while Dani only worked the afternoon shifts.

Santana found herself longing to talk to the blonde, even though she knew that Dani would never be interested in her. It was frustrating her to no end; ever since coming to New York she had never been that interested in anybody and now she had to start? And that by crushing on a girl that had a boyfriend? Ugh! Even though Santana was frustrated at her current dilemma, she couldn't help but look forward to the afternoon shift she was going to be working. It meant seeing and talking to Dani, definitely the highlight of the shift.

Kurt and Rachel had seen her interact with the beautiful girl and had both encouraged her repeatedly to ask Dani about her sexuality and to tell her about her feelings, but Santana had refused every time.

"Come on Satan! Everyone can see that you two have feelings for each other, you just need to toughen up and tell her!" Kurt admonished.

Santana scowled at him "Oh yeah? Toughen up? If her feelings are so obvious then, why isn't she asking me out, huh? Why should I embarrass myself by taking the first step, only to find out she isn't even gay?" she questioned angrily.

"Oh _please _Santana, Dani is just as gay as her friend that you believe to be her boyfriend! Maybe she wants _you_ to ask _her_ out, you'll never know if you don't ask. I'm telling you: assumptions almost always lead to misunderstandings," he shot back.

"I really appreciate your matchmaking tries, Hummel, but seriously: back off. I'm doing this my way, so please shut up and let me enjoy the time I have until work starts," she silenced him and trudged back to the couch to watch some TV while sipping on her coffee.

* * *

Dani, still clad in her pajama, was humming while opening the fridge and taking out the milk to pour it in her bowl of cereal when Elliott walked into their small kitchen, ready to leave for school.

"What's got you humming this early? This isn't usually your time," he trailed off, hiding a smirk, he was almost certain that Dani was once again thinking of Santana, although she would never admit it.

"Well I figured since I now always have the morning shift at the coffee shop, I might as well get used to it and start the day positively," she grinned.

"That's good to hear. So there isn't a certain Latina that you can't wait to see again?" he asked, his smirk now showing.

"Why aren't you nosy, Mr. Gilbert?" she asked impishly, starting to eat her cereal.

"Why yes I am," he played along. "Are you going to ask her out?" he asked, unable to wait any longer.

Dani contemplated her answer for a moment "I kinda want her to ask me, you know? It's really cute how nervous she gets, I just wished she would just ask," she sighed.

"Don't you think she wishes the same? Does she even know you're gay?" he asked.

"I don't know, I didn't tell her, but I think it should be pretty obvious from the way I talk to her," Dani admitted.

"Dan, you realize that this could be the exact reason, why she didn't ask? She probably thinks you're straight!"

"Are you serious?" she groaned in realization. Internally slapping herself for not having thought about that.

"I've seen the way she looks at me when I pick you up and something tells me that she doesn't like me very much..." he told her.

"You think...that she thinks we're..." Dani shuddered at the thought of being in a relationship with her best friend, or any male for that matter.

"Could be," he said suppressing a smile, but Dani caught him.

"What is it?" she asked warily.

"Oh Dani, the situations you put yourself in..." he trailed off with a laugh.

"It's not funny," she whined.

"Maybe not to you, but I find it quite hilarious," he smirked, getting up to leave for NYU.

"Have a nice day, asshole!" she shouted after him.

"Love you too, Danielle!" he laughed and slammed the door shut on his way out.

Although she didn't want it to be true, she knew that Elliott had a point, so she decided that by the end of their shift, she would somehow tell Santana that she was gay. She put her now empty bowl in the dishwasher and went into the bathroom to get ready for the day.

* * *

**Thank you so much for the reviews you've been leaving me, they make my day! So what do you think of Chapter 3? Tell me! :)  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

Santana's morning had been quiet after her conversation with Kurt and she was happy that she was finally going to be able to talk to Dani again. She put on her uniform and left the apartment, putting in her earphones and scrolling through her playlist for her favorite song at the moment, _'Rather Be'_ by _Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne._

She dove into the sea of people in the ever busy New York streets. Santana walked to the subway that would take her to the Spotlight Diner. She was fed up already; she hated it when people moved in a pace slower than hers or even decided to just stop walking in the middle of the street, but bit back any rude remark she had up her sleeve.

Finally she spotted the familiar sign of the diner and quickly went to the locker room to put away her purse.

While going back to the front of the diner to check which section she had, Santana looked around to see if Dani had already arrived; she was just taking an order when she noticed Santana looking at her and gave her a sexy wink before returning her full attention to her customer. Santana's heart fluttered, but she told herself to stay calm and just take care of her section.

* * *

Dani had seen Santana look at her and was happy when she finally got stuck with her behind the counter.

"Hey there," she greeted.

"Hi," Santana smiled.

"So what's up?" she asked lamely.

"Not much, work is boring as usual," Santana rolled her eyes.

"Agreed, I'm so glad I get to perform with my band, I hope one day we'll get signed and I won't need my other jobs," Dani sighed.

"New York is unpredictable, maybe you'll be having your big break soon, you guys definitely have what it takes," Santana said with a smile.

"Thanks! Reminds me, we have another gig tomorrow night, would you like to come?" Dani asked excitedly.

"Sure, just tell me when and where."

"Alright, just give me your number and I'll be sure to text ya," she winked, making Santana blush while looking for a piece of paper to write her number on.

"Dani, can you take over section two for me?" one of their co-workers, Henry, asked her. She shot Santana an apologetic smile and quickly tucked the piece of paper in the pocket of her apron.

"Yeah, " she smiled and made her way over to a man who had just sat down.

Santana looked at her for a few seconds, before returning to her work.

* * *

"Hello! Do you know what you would like to order yet or shall I come back later?" she greeted kindly. The man, who was roughly a year or two older than her gave her a once over, before giving her a slick look that made her want to throw up.

"I'm not sure, what would you recommend Sexy?" he smirked.

"Well today we have freshly baked apple pie, I haven't tried it but it's supposed to be great," she said as friendly as she could.

"After seeing you I'm definitely in for something sweet," he said in what he probably thought to be a charming way.

"So I'll bring you a piece of pie? Did you want a coffee to go with it?" she asked, once again ignoring his advances.

"I'll take the pie if you sit down and share it with me, what do you say?" he asked, grabbing her hand to pull her closer, but she pulled away immediately and shot him a glare. "Oh I like 'em feisty," he snickered.

"I'm not sure if you understand the concept of a diner properly, so I'm gonna refresh your memory. Either you order something from the menu and keep your perverted thoughts to yourself or you _leave_," she said loudly, making a few heads turn.

"Playing hard to get I see," he smirked.

"No, actually I am asking you _kindly_ to place your order and leave me alone!" she said with a sweet voice, although her appearance was everything but sweet in that moment.

"Don't be that way, although you look very sexy when you're angry," he said once again ogling her body.

"For God's sake! Back off! I. Am. Not. Interested. I don't even play for your team!" she couldn't keep her temper in check any longer.

"What? You're a _dyke_?" he asked suddenly disgusted.

"Yes I am a _lesbian_ and I suggest you leave right now," she stated for probably the entire diner to hear. The man huffed, but fortunately left the diner. Dani shook her head "_Idiota_," she cursed angrily.

* * *

To say Santana was shocked would be an understatement. She had just witnessed Dani getting hit on by some obnoxious guy that made her blood boil. What had however shocked her the most was the way Dani blew him off, not only did she have smart comebacks and managed to stay civil, but she also admitted to being a lesbian. She couldn't believe it, but her concern was on Dani who had quickly excused herself and taken her break.

Santana decided to go into the back of the diner as well to make sure Dani was alright. She didn't know if Dani had gone into the break room or the locker room, but she didn't even have to look, she only needed to follow the string of Spanish swearwords to find Dani pacing in front of her locker.

"Hey, you okay?" she asked tentatively, making Dani jump in surprise and clutch her hand to her heart.

"Jeez, I can't get a break today... but yes I'm okay, thanks for asking," she smiled.

"So...you play for the other team, huh?" Santana asked, before she could stop herself.

Dani chuckled "Yep, thought you knew that already though."

"You didn't exactly tell me, you know," Santana laughed with her.

"That's what Elliott told me this morning and I told myself that I would somehow tell you. I didn't think it would be this way and however disgusting that excuse for a man was, it's kinda funny on afterthought though," she grinned.

"Oh so you were talking about me?" Santana asked with a smirk, her confidence growing by the second. Was that Dani blushing?

"Well uhm, yeah," Dani admitted sheepishly.

"Care to tell me why?" she smiled.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Dani smirked.

"As a matter of fact, I would," Santana said, now standing directly in front of Dani.

"Maybe another time, we should really get back to work," she smiled and leaned forward to kiss the taller girl's cheek (although it was more the corner of her mouth) and sauntered out of the locker room, leaving a bewildered Santana who was grinning like a madman behind.

* * *

Dani was enjoying a few hours of solitude since Elliott had decided to meet up with some of his friends from NYU, so she was free to blast her favorite songs through the entire apartment while dancing around like a fool and surprisingly cleaning up, something she absolutely despised.

Two hours later she was positively exhausted and decided to go to bed early, but not before remembering that she still had to text Santana, so she quickly took her phone from her bedside table and typed out a short message to the Latina.

"_Hey it's Dani! We're playin' 2morrow at 8pm at Frankie's Club, hope to see u there! :)_"

"_Sure, I can be ur groupie :P_"

"_We'll see about that... ;)_"

* * *

**Thanks once again for reading, reviewing, following and putting this in your favorites! You guys are awesome! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

Santana was happy. The girl she'd been crushing on for the past week was gay and seemed to like her as well. She'd even been invited to her band's next gig at a local bar and she couldn't wait to hear Dani sing again.

She still had a few hours until they would play at Frankie's Club, but she wanted to look extra good, so she started getting ready by taking a long and relaxing bath before doing her make up and hair, slightly curling the ends of it and putting on some hairspray to make it stay in place. Her biggest problem though was trying to find something to wear; she wanted to look sexy but not like she was trying too hard, so after trying on seven different dresses, she settled on a tight black dress and her favorite pair of heels.

"Santana? We're home!" Rachel and Kurt called out, making her roll her eyes.

"Okay!" she shouted back anyway and continued to check her appearance, before putting everything important in her purse.

"Why are you so dressed up? Did you finally ask Dani out?" Rachel asked excitedly.

"Shut it, Berry. But if you must know, I was invited to come see her band play tonight," Santana said, feigning annoyance, but she couldn't help but let a small smile slip.

"But you are going to ask her, right?" Kurt butted in.

"Ugh, stop bugging me! I might. Happy now?" she asked, now really annoyed.

"Very, now go have fun Satan," he replied. She huffed, but obliged, grabbed her stuff and left.

* * *

Dani twirled around in front of her mirror taking in her look for the night and she had to admit that she was quite happy with it.

"Wowza! Dani why'd you have to be gay?" Alex whistled, making her laugh.

"Come on, we gotta go," she chuckled and pushed him towards the door.

They all got into the car and buckled up, before going over the details again.

"We'll start with Rascacielo, then comes Here We Go Again, then Trespassing and after that Photograph and Payphone, alright?" Jake said, making sure that everyone knew their set.

Soon they pulled up at the back entrance of the bar and got out their instruments to prepare for their performance. They took in the stage that fortunately already had a drum-set as well as a piano, so they only needed to plug in their guitars.

* * *

Santana had to look around a little until she found the bar Dani had told her they were playing at, so she had to hurry in to grab a good place. When she finally got a seat at the bar that was on a small platform, she turned towards the stage where somebody was already explaining the concept of the theme they were apparently having that night.

"And now without further ado, the first performers of the night: Original Uproar!"

She cheered with the rest of the crowd and watched as Dani, clad in a black sequined dress, a trademark cropped leather jacket and high-heels, the bassist and the drummer took the stage, she saw no sign of Elliott.

"So, the song we're going to play for you in a few moments is one that means a lot to me, I wrote it a few weeks ago actually and I have yet to get comfortable playing it for other people, but I hope you're going to like it. This is called Rascacielo," Dani announced before sitting down at the grand piano.

Santana furrowed her brow – who would write a song about a high-rise building? But her confusion was halted when Dani started playing the intro of what appeared to be a very heavyhearted song.

_Llora el cielo y en mis manos  
Veo sus lagrimas caer  
El silencio, me hace daño  
Se acabo nuestro querer  
La tristeza me castiga, se apropia de mi ser_

_Puedes llevarte mi ilusion_  
_Romperme todo el corazon, como un cristal_  
_Que se cae al suelo_  
_Pero te juro que al final, sola me voy a levantar_  
_Como un rascacielos!_  
_Como un rascacielos!_

_Poco a poco, con el tiempo_  
_Voy a olvidarme de ti_  
_No te vas a dar cuenta, que estoy sangrando aqui_  
_Mis ventanas se han quebrado, mas no me voy a rendir_

_Puedes llevarte mi ilusion_  
_Romperme todo el corazon, como un cristal_  
_Que se cae al suelo_  
_Pero te juro que al final, sola me voy a levantar_  
_Como un rascacielos!_  
_Como un rascacielos!_

Dani's voice was heartwrenching, a beautiful sound that held so much pain. It saddened Santana to hear how much Dani, the girl with the almost permanent smile, must have been through to write a song this emotional and somewhat depressing, yet full of strength. Santana watched her face while she was singing and noticed the sudden fierceness in her eyes, that had been evident in her voice before and was now visibly taking over her features as she neared the climax of the song.

_Vete a volar, yo estoy mejor asi,_  
_Muy lejos de ti_  
_No vuelvas mas, que ya lo decidi_  
_Sin tu recuerdo aprendere a vivir_

_Puedes llevarte mi ilusion_  
_Romperme todo el corazon, como un cristal_  
_Que se cae al suelo_  
_Pero te juro que al final, sola me voy a levantar_

_Como un rascacielos!_  
_Como un rascacielos!_

_Como un rascacielos!_  
_Como un rascacielos!_

The room was silent for a few seconds before cheers erupted. Though the majority probably didn't understand the language Dani was singing in, they were still able to feel the emotions she put into her singing.

Santana was happy to see Dani give a radiant smile that showed that she did what she was singing about; she didn't let her demons, whatever they were, tear her down and stop her from doing what she loved.

The set of the band continued with the slower version of 'Here We Go Again' followed by Elliott's solo with 'Trespassing'. The audience seemed to really enjoy their performance, which made Dani happy. This was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life; share her passion with others and being able to just live in the moment with them.

"Now it's time for some covers," Dani announced and a few people whooped.

"That's right! So are y'all ready for some Nickelback?" Elliott asked the crowd and was met with an affirmative response.

"Let's do this!" Dani exclaimed, using one of her standard phrases, as Santana had noticed.

"_Look at this photograph, every time I do it makes me laugh. Every time I do it makes me..." _they finished humming out the last note.

"We just wanted to thank you real quick for being such a great crowd before we play our last song of the night, so thank you!" Elliott said, the rest of the band joining him for the last part.

"If you know this one help us out and sing along!" Dani smiled

"_If happy ever after did exist, I would still be holding you like this and all these fairy tales are full of it, yeah, one more stupid love song, I'll be sick. Now I'm at a payphone..."_

* * *

They thanked the crowd again and left soon after to head backstage and to their car, but Dani stopped and said, she had to text someone.

"_Hey! Saw u in the crowd, thx for coming! Wanna meet up outside? :) - Dani"_ she typed quickly and was glad to receive a reply soon after.

"_Sure, was about to head home anyways, nothing to watch anymore ;P – Santana"_

Dani grinned and turned to her friends "Guys can you take my stuff? I'm staying out for a while," she asked.

"Yeah, but why do you want to stay?" Alex asked with a suspicious look on his face.

"I'm meeting up with a friend," she stated simply.

"And who is this friend?" Jake asked, knowing that Dani rarely ever stayed out. She didn't really have many friends beside the band. He didn't really understand why, but knew better than to pester her about it.

"You don't know her, we work together," she said quickly, hoping to avoid further questioning.

Elliott gasped dramatically "Dani's got a date!"

"Oooh!" Jake and Alex smirked at Dani who was by then slightly blushing.

"Will you three shut up?! I do not have a date," she emphasized exasperatedly. "And now I'm leaving, so bye!" she said before turning around to go to the entrance of the bar.

* * *

**Sadly the next chapter will be the last chapter. I hope you liked this one! ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

It was a little chilly outside, but luckily not too chilly for the two girls that were casually walking through the illuminated streets of New York.

"I didn't know you spoke Spanish," Santana remarked after a while of them just walking in silence.

"Yeah, my dad's from Puerto Rico," Dani smiled sadly.

"That's cool, both my mamì and papì are from Mexico," she smiled, hoping to lighten the mood.

"So you understood what I was singing?" Dani asked hesitantly, her eyes on the ground.

"Yes, it was beautiful and I know that you can continue to be a skyscraper, I believe in you," she told her, hoping Dani wouldn't get uncomfortable.

"Thank you," she said, squeezing Santana's hand.

"You're welcome, so did you always dream of living in New York?" she replied.

Dani surprised herself by actually enjoying answering Santana's questions; usually whenever somebody would start asking her too many questions she would distance herself. Answering questions meant setting yourself up to expectations and judgment from your counterpart. And Dani had had enough judgment in her life, so she would usually avoid situations like the one she was currently in.

"Uhm I didn't live far away from New York, so it was the smartest decision to move into the city, I guess," she shrugged "You?"

"I first came here because I didn't like what I was doing at university and I'd loved NYC the times I'd been there, so I followed Rachel and Kurt," Santana said.

"So you must have known them for a while?" Dani asked.

"Yeah, we went to the same high-school in Ohio," she replied "I hope I'm not pushing too far, but after hearing your song, I kinda wonder even more what the tattoos on your wrists stand for," she asked carefully. But no matter how careful she had been, Dani stiffened and seemed to become a little distant.

"They mean exactly what they say," she quipped, but seeing Santana's hurt expression made her realize she was being mean "I'm sorry, it's just...my past isn't something I like to talk about, I'm not ready to open up about it," she apologized. "...but one day, I'd like you to be the person I open up to," she added shyly.

Santana smiled "You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, there's no pressure. But I'd like to be that person too," she rubbed her thumb across Dani's hand that had magically reappeared in hers.

"Ugh, my feet are killing me!" Dani suddenly exclaimed, making Santana burst into laughter.

"That was so random," she chuckled.

"Yep, but it's true. I love these shoes but they're not made for long walks," she giggled.

"Well are we near your place? Cause mine is nowhere near," Santana asked.

"Oh so you'd take me home?" Dani asked in a flirtatious way. "And yes we should be there in about five minutes," she added.

"Why wouldn't I? Besides aren't you the one taking me home?" Santana winked.

"Touché," she laughed.

* * *

Dani was really enjoying spending time with Santana. She loved the silly banter they could have and still be able to talk on a more serious level. She knew that she was deeply attracted to the Latina not only physically, but also mentally. When they reached her apartment complex later, Dani found herself trying very hard to resist the urge to kiss Santana. She opened the door and Santana followed her inside the hallway.

"So I guess this is goodbye?" Santana asked, slightly disappointed that their walk was coming to an end. She was surprised when Dani suddenly pulled her close and whispered "For now."

Her mind went blank as soon as Dani's lips touched hers. Her taste was intoxicating; she couldn't stop kissing her.

Dani was in heaven; Santana had accepted her kiss and was responding just as passionately as she had hoped. Her hands intertwined in Santana's long black hair, pulling her even closer into the kiss. She nibbled on the taller girl's lower lip, causing her to let out a small moan and thereby granting her entrance. Their tongues were soon fighting for dominance and Dani felt Santana's hands move down her waist and squeezing her butt through her dress, making her squeak slightly in surprise.

Santana couldn't believe it, the girl she'd been wanting since she had first seen her was now kissing _her_. Dani was turning her on so much, she knew just the right ways to make Santana squirm. She never wanted to stop kissing Dani, so she decided in her head that she would make Dani hers.

Without warning a door opened and someone walked down the stairs, but Dani and Santana were too preoccupied to notice or care.

"Oh! What do I spy here?" asked Jake, nudging Alex who hadn't spotted his bandmate yet.

"Whoo! Go Dani! Get your mack on!" Alex whooped loudly upon seeing the passionate embrace that his friend was currently in. Dani, however, didn't make any move to stop kissing Santana. She simply lifted the hand that was placed on the Latina's waist to flip her friends off. They snickered, but continued their way to the front door, but not before shouting in unison "Be safe, kids!".

Dani slowly pulled away from Santana, both girls breathing heavily.

"That...was an extremely long and hot goodbye," Santana said, still out of breath.

"Agreed," she smiled widely. "Now I only need to find a way to get back at those two morons," she muttered. "I'll call you later," she then said sweetly and pecked her lips, completely changing her attitude, making Santana chuckle.

"I'll be waiting for that call," she winked, before walking out the door.

~THE END~

* * *

**Oh my gosh, I'm so mean, I totally let y'all wait for this and then forgot to even post it...FAIL. Hope you enjoyed it! Please let me know in a review! Also, if you want to, you can follow me on Twitter xSiimplyMeex  
**

**Thanks for all the reviews, favorites and follows! :)**


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